Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers: It's up to the Senate

Oct. 3, 2013
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Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wa. / Cliff Owen, AP

by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, USATODAY

by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, USATODAY

We have arrived at a government shutdown because the Senate has refused to make the tough decisions.

Despite our repeated attempts to negotiate, Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Democratic-controlled Senate are slamming the door on re-opening the government by refusing to talk. In fact, the only communication they've had with us in the past several weeks has been to say they won't negotiate.

They've refused to sit down and engage in a dialogue. They've refused to consider any reforms or changes to the status quo. And they've refused to stop members of Congress from receiving special treatment under Obamacare.

No matter where I go when I'm home in eastern Washington - the grocery store, the local coffee shop, the county fair - the concern is the same: Obamacare is making life harder for everyday Americans. At the doctor's office, the dinner table and in the job market. This is what this debate is really about: real people and real concerns.

But the Senate has chosen to ignore them. They've chosen to take the easy way out - yet again - and ignore the majority of Americans who want Obamacare tied to the debate over government funding. We're elected to Congress to make tough decisions. But instead of coming to the table to negotiate with us, Democrats have met our numerous requests to negotiate with inaction and opposition.

Sen. Reid said he would not negotiate "with a gun to our head." House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called us "legislative arsonists." And President Obama accused us of "holding the U.S. hostage." This isn't how leaders solve problems. This rhetoric is incendiary and unconstructive. While the Democrats continue to lambast House Republicans with these baseless accusations, we will continue to advance real solutions for the people who elected us.

That's why the House acted early - and first - to keep the government open. Just because the president and Senate disagree with our solution doesn't mean they should refuse to come the table to work out our differences. Now we ask the Senate to fulfill its most basic responsibility and work with us to find a solution.

We voted on Monday night to have the House and Senate negotiate - and to delay the individual mandate and repeal the Obamacare subsidy for members of Congress - because if the American people have to bear the burden of Obamacare, so too should their representatives in Congress. We cannot solve the problems before us if the Senate refuses to talk.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., serves as chair of the House Republican Conference.